The centre of Hebden Bridge was inundated after the river Calder reached a record high and burst its banks. Photograph: John Giles/PA

Northern England began mopping up after a month's rainfall falling in 24 hours saw waist-high water flowing down streets and families forced to flee their homes.

Cumbria bore the brunt, with almost 10cm of rain overnight on Friday. Scores of homes were evacuated in Croston and Darwen, near Chorley in Lancashire, after rivers burst their banks, while people had to be rescued from their homes by boat in Wigan. Those flooded out should be able to recoup the cost of temporary accommodation, according to the Association of British Insurers.

As the torrential rain travelled east across Yorkshire, the Calderdale area in the foothills of the Pennines was badly hit. Alison Bartram, 46, proprietor of the Heart Gallery in Hebden Bridge, said she had never seen rain like it. She said the River Calder began to swell as nightfall approached on Friday, eventually reaching a record high of 3.2 metres.

At 9pm it burst its banks, inundating the town's major shopping streets and prompting at least 20 evacuations. "There was nothing we could do. It was a horrible feeling just watching it unfold," added Bartram. Fellow shopkeepers, she said, woke up yesterday to find their stock bobbing about in high waters. She said there was anger as people accused the local council of not delivering sandbags until 11pm.

In nearby Todmorden, floodwaters rose so high that residents had to move to upper floors. At one point, West Yorkshire fire service was under such pressure that it issued a message explaining that it could respond only to incidents where life was in danger.

Firefighters in the Yorkshire Dales had to rescue people from cars trapped by flash flooding. Travel chaos was reported throughout the north of England and Scotland yesterday, with trains cancelled and bus services disrupted.

Blencathra in Cumbria received 93.8mm of rain, nearby Keswick 88.6mm, and Stonyhurst, near Blackburn, and Morecambe on the Lancashire coast endured 57mm in the deluge on Friday and Saturday morning.

Floods

Teams from the Environment Agency were sent to check on flood defences and monitor river levels. More than 11,000 homes and businesses were being protected by flood defences on alert, while 7,000 owners of properties have been sent warnings. Ninety-five areas had flood warnings where rivers were expected to burst their banks, and 51 more were on alert for flooding.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "We're asking people in Greater Manchester, Liverpool, the Wirral, north Cheshire and Lancashire to remain vigilant and prepared for flooding." The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has also issued flood alerts in nine regions of Scotland.

The wet weather is expected to ease today, but many areas will still suffer from heavy showers and thunderstorms. However, many places are expected to have a dry day on Monday, although the Environment Agency said people should remain vigilant. There was better news for revellers at the Isle of Wight festival as the site began to dry out after the grim weather had forced some to spend Thursday night trapped in their cars. The Great North Swim in Cumbria was hit by strong winds and heavy rain. Saturday's events were cancelled, but remaining races were expected to go ahead.